Dinner With a Portrait
by Weirdly
Summary: Harry visits Dumbledore and they chat about the news.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, yadda yadda yadda.**

**A/N: This stuffs a _lot_ into one fic. I'm not sure how I like this.**

**Well, I hope you do. And I hope that you review.**

Harry sighed as he entered Dumbledore's—no, Lupin's now—office. He collapsed on what used to be Dumbledore's chair and which Lupin now used in his duties as the Head of the Order of the Phoenix.

"Harry?" Dumbledore's portrait asked gently. "What is it?"

"Snape," Harry sighed and leaned his head back with his eyes closed.

"He's not evil," Dumbledore said. "I'm glad that you brought it up—as a painting, I really cannot venture information unasked, unfortunately. What is going on with Severus, Harry?"

"He's just…" Harry started. "…just being Snape, I suppose. He keeps showing up…and I saw my parents' graves today, at Godric's Hollow…."

"Which reminded you that he had given up the prophecy?"

"Yes. Professor, why did you trust Snape? I mean, he's a Death Eaters, and he killed you…."

"I do not like giving up Severus' secrets, Harry," Dumbledore said, and at this, Harry opened his eyes and leaned forward. "But…I feel that you have the right to know."

"Thank you, Professor," Harry said. "Just to…you know…loosen you up, I'm coming along very well in my lessons and the Horcrux search."

"Excellent, excellent. It's wonderful that you're so dedicated, Harry; I'm sure that you'll be both a Warrior Master _and_ a War Master in at least two years."

"Hoping for one, sir."

"I'm sure that you can, Harry, especially with the Time-Turner. Just be careful, all right? Do not exhaust yourself, my boy."

"Ginny's using it too, now," Harry mentioned casually. "And Ron. And Hermione."

Dumbledore's portrait sat back, feeling more free to show his astonishment now that he was a painting.

"How are they doing, Harry?" he asked. "Are they all right? I know that Miss Granger's encounter with a Time-Turner was rather…stressful, in her third year."

"Yes, they're doing very well," Harry said. "Ginny shows an aptitude for the Charms Master course of study, and Ron for the War. I assume that soon those years of playing chess might pay off." He shifted in the seat, obviously getting impatient about Snape after all the small-talk.

"Miss Granger? And you?"

"Hermione's into being a Tale Master; it suits her perfectly. I'm pretty good at Warrior."

"Which, given your talent for understatement, means you're a prodigy, my boy. You always were good at Defense Against the Dark Arts. But you are not going to be an Auror?"

"Er…"

Dumbledore noticed Harry's increasing anxiety about Snape, and decided to take pity on him just this once. "So, Severus. He truly was sorry that your parents got killed—well, not your father, I'm afraid; but your mother."

"My mother?" Harry repeated dumbly. "He called her 'mudblood,' Professor! How could he be sorry that he basically killed her?"

"The answer," said Dumbledore gently, "lies, as does so much else, in love."

"Love?" Harry again repeated Dumbledore's words and totally missed the blatant hint that the Professor's portrait was throwing him. "I'm sorry Professor; I'm tired right now—what do you mean, 'love'?"

"Ah, Harry, apparently you are indeed tired—I do not believe I could have made it more obvious."

"Sir…" Harry sighed exasperatedly. "Please stop playing with my head?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "Severus Snape was in love with your mother, Harry."

Thump.

That was Harry falling over onto Lupin's desk.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

_Those_ were Harry hitting his head on Lupin's desk.

He raised his head, looking slightly dazed.

"That would be part of the reason that he hated my dad, then?"

"Yes. And let me assure you, Harry, that Lily loved your father with all of her heart; more than her heart. With her soul and more than her soul. Never doubt that."

"That," Harry said with extreme sincerity, "_really_ makes me feel better."

"I thought it would. Now, Harry, Severus came to me after that Halloween. He was…distraught. More than distraught. He decided to spy."

"I think I'd trust him too," Harry decided, and turned his attention back to Dumbledore.

"Severus came to me about the Unbreakable Vow that he had made and Draco's task. We arranged that he would be the one to kill me."

"All right," Harry said slowly. He was warming up to the idea of Snape; possibly feeling a drop of pity for him. "But…well, I still don't like him, sir. And I know that he hates me."

"Fair enough. Now, how is young Miss Weasley doing?"

Harry blushed. "Really well, sir, ever since she sort of grabbed me and kissed me at Bill and Fleur's wedding…."

"That often works," Dumbledore chuckled. "And have the youngest Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger found each other yet?"

"It's _Ms._ Granger now, sir. They're engaged." Dumbledore's portrait was startled.

"This young? So soon?" he asked, a tad shocked.

"Well, they have a soul bond. As do Ginny and I…"

"So I would assume that _Ms_. Weasley has indeed been listening to every word we have said?"

Harry screwed his eyes shut. "Yes, she has," he told Dumbledore. "She wants to talk to you. Sorry, but the bond is still new enough so that we have a little trouble talking to each other."

"That makes me feel better, Harry and Ms. Weasley," Dumbledore said. "It is enough that you two have progressed so far this quickly; any faster and I would be more that impressed. I'd be rather worried."

Harry screwed his face up again, and when he next opened his mouth, a higher voice spoke.

"Thank you for telling us all this, Professor," Ginny said, speaking through Harry. "And by the way, we believe that we have only one more Horcrux left. Harry really is a prodigy in his classes. Hermione thinks that she's found the way to stop Voldemort. Harry and I, and Ron and Hermione, are getting married in three months. We'll be bringing your portrait to the festivities so that you can see them. Would you have any idea, by the way, of where the Ravenclaw Manor stands? Or stood?"

"I do," Dumbledore said. "But only blood descendants of Ravenclaw can get inside. I suggest that you use the Room of Requirement; it will surely help with whatever you need to do."

"Yes, we should," Harry said (his voice had become his own again). "We found the real locket, you know; Regulus Black being R.A.B.; Hufflepuff's cup was where we thought; and you know about the Sorting Hat and Gryffindor's sword…."

"So you are prepared indeed, for the battle," Dumbledore said happily. "Ravenclaw's object may be a bracelet; I remember hearing a rumor. But I'm afraid I don't remember anything else. Now, I have full confidence in you, my boy."

"He's nearly done with his training, Professor," Ginny said through Harry. Harry blushed. "Voldemort will be gone soon. And we'll visit you more often; we've seen you what, once?"

"Good," Dumbledore said. "Now, off with you. I'm afraid I have no more lemon drops to offer other than painted ones—" he gestured to the little bowl filled with the yellow sweets that had been painted in with him. "—so I must say goodbye." With that, he promptly fell 'asleep'.

_Let's go, then,_ Ginny said in Harry's thoughts. _Now, why did you tell him that you had trouble thought-speaking with me?_

_Because—I don't know, I kind of—_

_Paranoid, darling, paranoid,_ Ginny sighed. _Now, come back here and we can talk with Ron and Hermione. Then we have to get to lessons._

_I love you, Ginny._

_I love you. And don't worry, Voldemort will be dead soon with you on our side._

_Thank you._

And Harry went jogging off down the castle corridor to find his love and his best friends, and then to train.

After all, he couldn't let Ginny lose her belief in him, could he?

**A/N (#2!): Last line a little lame,sorry. Oh well. Too bad. Really have to rewrite this. Ok. Bye. Fragment sentences starting to annoy me. Cannot stop. Help. SOS. Get grammar paramedics in. Please. Need to be taken away in grammar ambulance. Okay. Full sentence coming.**

**This sentence is grammatically correct, as far as I know.**

**Yes! I made it. I'm cured!**

**All right, goodbye. That was more than a little weird.**


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